It is known that it is very difficult for wheeled vehicles even four wheel drive vehicles and pedestrians to move in very loose sand or wet boggy areas. The reason is well understood. Where there is a surface condition such that the surface material lacks cohesion and cannot be compacted the surface is displaced whenever a weight or forces are introduced on that surface such as vehicle wheels that spin and slip displacing material preventing or hindering vehicle movement. It is also known that loose sand as on a seashore beach where the tidal changes saturate the sand the surface can withstand traffic. The wetness of the sand provides cohesion and most important compaction preventing displacement. In boggy areas or super saturated soils other means are required to prevent displacement (sinking) usually by introducing a fill material. This invention relates to a means of compacting and treating the surface areas of loose sand and soils where there is a relative high density of movement by vehicles or persons. Where those areas cannot be paved by standard methods because of time constraints or nonavailability or the standard paving materials bitumen, concrete, gravel, etc. the roads rut and become impassable. Trails and paths deteriorate, grassy areas and vegetation are destroyed. It is well known to use manufactured devices for erosion control. It is also known to use manufactured devices for surfacing materials. When a device designed for erosion control and is similarily designed to be used as a devise for a surface substitute for paved surface areas and visa versa then the device becomes doubly valuable.
The use of manufactured devices for erosion control such as revetments along river banks, ditches, and shorelines often with added or imported materials, rocks, gravel, fiberous plant growth, etc. to stabilize the base of supersaturated soils or unstable and loose sandy areas is well known. In addition the planting of vegetation for highway shoulders and embankments to provide a more permanent and certainly more natural and attractive stabilizing means is well known.
It is known that modern highway construction requires certain basic principles. One is that a solid non erosive base foundation be layed, stabilized and compacted before the final road surfacing layer of concrete or asphalt mix is applied. Another principle is that compacted stable shoulders are constructed along with the roadbed to prevent deterioration of the roadway edges from erosion beneath the edge surface causing failures and pot-holing. Also having stable non eroding shoulders for traffic safety is well understood.
In recent years there has been a great concern about beach erosion along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Federal, State, County, and City agencies are spending millions of dollars to refurbish the eroding beaches because their economy and commerce is greatly affected with the loss of income from recreational and tourist spending because of beach erosion. New laws have been introduced for beachfront and shoreline management. Engineers are trying to conceive ways of saving coastal structures of historic and economic value such as lighthouses, piers, hotels, beach homes, commercial buildings, and shoreline highways from shoreline erosion.
The natural phenomenon of the ever changing features of the barrier islands along the Atlantic Coast; shorelines disappearing and rebuilding with the tidal and wind action often exposing shipwreck remains that do not shift or move year after year indicates that there can be devices designed to stop or greatly hinder beach losses to erosion or in some way work with nature in restoring beach front property. In addition, over the last decade a series of severe hurricanes and storms on the Atlantic coast has revealed that existing methods to control erosion has not proved satisfactory. Recent studies indicate that seawalls as previously constructed in some instances actually have caused greater harm and have introduced more losses than the areas protected.
In addition to the devices mentioned hereinabove, particular devices which are known by the present inventor include devices such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 132,801 granted to Chinnock, Nov. 5, 1872 which illustrates a paving structure including a wooden frame structure into which cement is poured and cured resulting in an alternating concrete and wooden foot surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 649,323 granted to Litz, May 8, 1900, discloses a method of forming a stable wood mosaic by interweaving wires between notches in individual wooden flooring cubes.
U.S. Pat. No. 746,094 granted Dec. 8, 1903 to Judson, Discloses a floor or similar surface wherein the individual blocks are secured in a spaced side-by-side position by rigid rods which are smaller than the bores containing them such that the individual blocks are movable relative to each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,066,092 granted to Ellery Jul. 1, 1913 discloses a flexible mattress used as a revetment, fabricated of cable and rolls of brush held in place by weights and anchors, it is expected that the brush will root itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,454,292 granted to Pickett on Nov. 23, 1948 discloses a revetment mat comprising reinforced concrete slabs secured together by wire or cable permitting the device to be rolled up and transported to the particular location requiring the control.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,628 granted to Dixon, Jr. Mar. 10, 1959 discloses a revetment mat which has pocket areas to capture the loose surrounding soil, increasing stability and is fabricated such that it permits limited flexibility.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,875 granted to Soland, May 8, 1979 discloses a ground covering fabricated of adjoining plates secured together by intersecting cables of rods allowing limited flexibility.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,552 granted to Schaff, May 12, 1987 discloses an erosion control revetment fabricated of preformed blocks secured to cables or the like by interlocking sleeves permitting flexibility in one direction.
With the above noted prior art in mind it is an object of present invention to provide a device or devices for stabilizing a surface for load bearing traffic where the device is fabricated of scrap waste material of wood of the timber manufacturing industries (wood truss plants, housing developments, lumber mills etc.) thereby making the product inexpensive and of simple construction permitting unskilled labor and some automation. Further, by prefabricating the devices and stockpiling the devices as seperate elements or preassembling the elements with accompaning materials into storable and functional use sizes ready for easy transportation and application is highly desirable. The wood used for the devices or elements used should be decay resistant naturally by the species (redwood, cedar, etc.) or by treatment using by well established wood preserving processes i.e. Osmose K-33 etc.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for surface stabilization and erosion control using known manufacturing processes to cast, extrude, weld, form, or mold the device/elements of metals, plastics, fiberglass composites raw or recycled materials thereby affecting economy by mass production. As in the wooden versions above preassembly, stockpiling, and easy transportation and application is accomplished.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for surface stabilization and erosion control manufactured of precast reinforced concrete T-shaped elements (larger and heavier) that is manufactured, stockpiled and readied for easy transportation and application.
It is another object of the invention to use a broad range of sizes for the T-shaped elements of the devices depending on the functional uses thereof i.e. The device or devices can be applied with or without various supporting or connecting materials depending on the application. The T-shaped device/element sizes can vary from six to twelve inches in length and width (wood and formed plastic, cast, extruded metalic elements) used in a mat like surfacing for roads, highway shoulders, paths, nature trails, ramps, runway construction/military bomb damage repairs, parking areas, etc. to larger concrete T-shaped elements of four to ten feet in width and length, one to two feet in depth weighing hundreds/thousands of pounds each device/element. These concrete elements would be applied for shoreline and other marine uses for erosion control and the rebuilding of lost beach areas, the construction of jetties, breakwaters, seawalls, canals, fishing reefs, etc.
It is another object of the invention to use many methods of manufacturing the invention; such as using unskilled, handicapped, institutional personnel, prison inmates etc. to fabricate and assemble the simple wood version of the invention for the needs of State, County, and City highway departments to using the mass production methods of casting, extruding, welding, forming, and assembly in plants of the industries now manufacturing other products with materials herebefore mentioned. The normal commerce of marketing, selling, stockpiling, storing and shipment of the invention modules as called for by user agencies, military and civilian would apply.